History
Table of Contents = Eras & Historical Points = ' Poisoning of the Northern Sea' ' ( Shortly before the Last Great War ) The poisoning of the Northern Sea is believed by the Fae to be the cause of the Last Great War. According to legend the Seas to the North once connected the physical realm to all other planes of existence. The waters shone with a heavenly glow and any who bathed in it were gifted with knowledge beyond imagining. The two nations that spanned the coast of the Northern Sea commonly referred to as The Salt Kingdom and The Overworld Metropolis were said to be immeasurably advanced in both Magick and Technology. That is of course until the Seas mysteriously became corrupted and the connection to the higher planes severed. As the nations to the North attempted to study and undo the damage to the waters a virus swept the land causing horrifying changes to the bodies of any creature that had once received the benefits from the Northern waters. Ultimately anyone infected would die a painful and agonizing death. Shortly after the fall of the two Northern nations a Dark army emerged and rapidly took over and destroyed much of Terrim. The Last Great War ( Over 30,000 Sun Cycles ago ) The last great war was fought over thirty thousand Sun Cycles ago. Little is truly known about it aside from the Tales the Fae tell and even less is truly understood. It is believed that an Unknown force of pure Evil once took control over all of Terrim. There was death, and destruction across all the land and sea. All the races and nations of Terrim, even those once considered enemies were forced to unite and launch a counterattack in the very heart of the Evil army (what is now referred to as the Foglands of the Old Wars). The last time anyone has seen or interacted with the Mer Domain was towards the end of The Last Great war. It is said that only the Mer Domain’s weapons were powerful enough to cause damage to the Evil Forces, but they were so destructive that in the act of obliterating the enemy much of Nafarfromir was destroyed. It wasn’t until many centuries after the Great War that Plant life and Magick began to return to the land. The Fae Epoch ( ??? - The age of Mortals The Fae Epoch spanned roughly 10,000 Sun Cycles ) It is unclear as to when exactly the Fae Epoch began, but it is estimated to have started around 20,000 Sun Cycles after The Last Great War. Once Magick and Life finally began to return to the lands destroyed by the war an emergence of the Fae people began to take hold. The Fae Courts were unified for many millennia with each being responsible for the wellbeing and future of Nafarfromir. Lands once barren of life and covered in ash gradually became lush forests brimming with Magick. Animals on the verge of extinction began to flourish again. Civilizations came into being and with them the birth of the first of the Mortal races. Elves, Dwarves, Orcs literally every one of the native mortal races of Nafarfromir owe their origins to the Fae. Whether it was out of boredom or simply evolution in the new world is unclear, but these races developed and grew in number. They were less naturally endowed with Magick and lived relatively short lives. While many Fae can live forever assuming they receive no mortal wounds, the mortal races only lived a few centuries at most and some only a few decades. The Fae considered these races to be lesser and incapable of anything truly meaningful and thus regarded them as simple semi-intelligent beasts. They were entirely underestimated, especially in regards to their intelligence and over time outnumbered the Fae. The mortal races gradually grew into their own settlements and cities. The Winter and Autumn courts regarded these settlements to be a threat to their well being. Since the dawning of the Fae Epoch, The Fae quickly learned that they were unable to settle in lands too far from the Gates to the Fae Realm. Deforestation and Terraforming caused the territories the Fae could traverse to shrink even more over time. Militaristic measures were taken by Winter and Autumn to control the growth of the Mortal Races who would have likely been completely subjugated had the Spring Court not felt responsible and taken pity on them. The combined forces of the Spring Court and the Mortals successfully halted Winter and Autumn’s plans. Ultimately this act of “treason” by the Spring Court would lead to all four of the Seasonal Courts disbanding and the start of The Fae Wars. The Fae Wars ( The last 100 Sun Cycles of the Fae Epoch ) The Fae Wars were a collection of battles that spanned a century of absolute chaos. What initially started as a last stand for the mortal races against the Winter and Autumn Courts quickly became an all out war between the Four Seasons themselves with each vying for control over the others. Summer was the last to enter the fray having been content with simply staying in the Fae Realm. It was only after the wars in the Mortal realm destroyed much of the Magickal forests that Summer even felt the effects of the disunification of the Courts. As the Magick in the forests dwindled so did the expanse of the Fae Realm. Though it was still a massive world of strange magickal lands, there was quickly becoming a worry amongst the Fae over resources in their own realm. This was something that had never entered the minds of the Fae before and terrified them. With the infighting amongst the Fae taking a huge toll on all sides the mortal races realized their opportunity to no longer live in accordance to the Fae’s unpredictable will. They launched their own offense against the Fae all throughout Nafarfromir and over the course of two decades had all but completely destroyed the remnants of the Old Fae Kingdoms. The denizens of what would eventually become Ruglewud were the main reason that the Fae were not wiped from the Mortal realm altogether. Just as the Spring Court felt responsible for the Mortal Races, the people of the Ruglewud settlements felt it their duty to protect the sovereignty of the Fae people so long as they had no ill intent towards the mortal realm. With much of the Ruglewud being miraculously unharmed during the Fae Wars, a few gates to the Fae Realm still remained. These gates were then policed by Elven and Dwarven militias with the areas around the gates made into what are known today as the Fae Reserves. A short time after the Fae Courts admitted defeat in the Mortal Realm the seasonal cycles were instituted. Instead of the four courts constantly fighting for control of the Fae Realm a cycle that followed the natural pattern of the seasons took hold. Each court would lead their realm for a number of centuries before war games would be held to determine if the next Seasons cycle was to begin. This process is still followed to this day and the Fae and Mortal realms live relatively harmoniously. ' The Age of Mortals' ( Officially Began on 1st of First Moon, 1 A.O.M ) The Sun Cycles first began to be tracked in the Age of Mortals starting on the 1st day of First Moon. The Mortal races technically became free from the rule of the Fae Realm in the last Summer of the One Hundred Years of the Fae Wars, but mortals being fans tracking things waited until the new Sun Cycle to begin their timekeeping in the new age. The Age of Mortals can be summarized as being the 3,012 year period in which the Native Mortal Races of Nafarfromir built the many settlements, cities and kingdoms that we have today. This is when much of the Folklore, Cultures, Religions, Stories and Customs of the modern world first came into being. While the majority of the races of Nafarfromir are peaceful and respectful of one another's territories and politics today, The Age of Mortals did see the occasional disputes, skirmishes and even some invasions. Fortunately conflict was kept to a relatively low amount between nations, instead the majority of the growing pains experienced in this time occurred within the boundaries of each maturing nation. Despite these times of battle, the majority of The Age of Mortals was mostly a time of peace, growth, study and exploration. The Saberneth Empire witnessed its first five Periods of Conquest and Prosperity during this time. It also successfully led the defensive campaign against the Gargantuan Creatures of the Dragonlands to the East which saw six separate Nafarfromir nations unite to fight against the dangerous beasts. The Southern Swamplands became the Freeland Boggs after the Reptilian and Amphibious races defeated the unified forces of Slavers & Mukheteni Barbarians in a series of bloody and explosive battles. Many more history making battles and expeditions would occur in this era. The people of Nafarfromir were certain they had seen and accomplished all they could in the world and such was the case for 3 millennia. It was not until the arrival of a curious race called Humans with strange technology, customs and lifestyles that signaled the changes to come to Nafarfromir Tyra-Hym Independence Day ( 4th of Dragonsfire, 1776 A.O.M ) Ruglewud and Tyra-Hym both have reputations as being extremely peaceful, however in the 18th century of The Age of Mortals there was a 5 year period of intense disagreement and almost all out war. Tyra-Hym was actually once a territory of Ruglewud, often referred to as The Lesserwud because of it’s size. Tyra-Hym’s people like the god for which they are named are staunch opposers of chaotic magick, believing it to be too dangerous to wield safely. The Fae, being quite literally made of Chaotic Magick were thus beheld in a very negative light. Tyra-Hym sought to keep the fae reserves healthy for the sake of keeping the Fae Realms safe, but preferred that the Fae living within the reserves would instead migrate to their own realm and out of the mortal realm. They also gave the Fae the option to attend re-education camps. This caused a large amount of strife and anger amongst the Fae and their sympathizers. Riots and small scale fights often broke out throughout both Lesserwud and Fae reserve territories. Eventually the problems got so severe that forces were built against the wishes of the people on both sides. War was to be fought to decide the fate of the Fae. On the 22nd of Escravem, 1775 Moments before the armies of Ruglewud and Tyra-Hym charged one another on the fields of the Lesserwud (modern day Tyra-Hym) a powerful earthquake shook the lands and a brilliant beam of light broke forth from the ground into the sky. The light was Tyra-Hym himself and he was furious with his followers for putting their people at risk. The possibility of war was immediately taken off the table and after months of discussion and political exchange the people of the Lesserwud voted to secede from Ruglewud and officially became recognized as the Mountain Kingdom of Tyra-Hym. This was the first time that war had been avoided thanks to diplomatic direction and forever solidified Ruglewud and Tyra-Hym as neutral zones in times of war. There has since not been one instance where an army of any nation stepped foot on either land’s domain. The Arrival of Man ( 11th of Witches Moon, 2991 A.O.M ) The Human race was not seen in the land of Nafarfromir until Thousands of years had passed even in The Age of Mortals. It was not until the Law Men of Nazanin and the Spellbinders from Gabria (The Land of Men) somehow contacted one another and began to work together in attempts to quell Chaos and Magick. The Law Men utilized the tools of the Spellbinders to stamp out a large number of Fire and Air elementals as well as their Inquisition tactics later on in during the horrific Nazanin Crusades. The Spellbinders utilized the Law Men’s experience and prowess in fighting against the Fae in an attempt to clear their own continent’s Fae population in a land known as “The Moors”. Multiple expeditions were sent out to explore and destroy The Moors with most being utter failures. The Law Men after getting what they sought from the Spellbinders disconnected from them, feeling that their obligations had been met and that the Spellbinders usefulness had worn out. Knowledge of distant lands eventually reached the populations of both worlds and with that trade inevitably began taking hold. Humans quickly went from an being an unknown race to one of the most prominent in the world of Open Sea Trade. With the introduction of Humans, Nafarfromir also saw the introduction of amazing works of technology. Machines that ran on steam power, refined firearms that were decades ahead of even the best that the Bribberts of the Freeland Boggs had to offer, and astounding scientific methods and discoveries that drastically changed the understanding of the world. It was mainly through trade in the port cities of Akadia and The White Sand Coast that Humans started making a foothold. The land of Nafarfromir had never met a species quite like the Humans. Unlike the other races, Humans discovered magick through scientific study and not by being blessed by the gods, the Fae, or spirits of the world. They made medicines instead of potions. They performed Chemistry instead of Alchemy. It was as though they came from a different world entirely. While the Arrival of Man was quickly followed by an influx of their people, they were not officially recognized as a race of Nafarfromir for another 20 years. '''The Nazanin Crusades' ' ( 1st of Autumn Moon, 3006 A.O.M - 2nd of Autumn Moon, 4 N.E )Roughly a decade after man first arrived the world witnessed what was perhaps the Darkest time in history since the Old Wars. The Law Men of Nazanin, Paired with the technology and methods of the Spellbinders began a crusade to rid the world of the Orc race. The Orcs had always been a warlike people. It’s not that they would simply kill anyone and everyone, but they were certainly prone to a “Kill first, ask questions later.” mentality in any situations where they felt threatened. They of course did feel threatened when the Law Men of Nazanin began sending out hundreds of expeditionary groups throughout the deserts of Nazanin in search of lost Temples. This is mainly due to the fact that many Orc settlements had been built into the temples that they had found Many Millenia ago. The Law Men of Nazanin spent massive sums of gold and time on convincing the world that the Orcs were truly a menace that needed to be controlled and since Nazanin was it’s own extremely well armed military nation, few were willing to suggest otherwise. What the world didn’t know was that a Fascist sect of Law Men of Nazanin had secretly spent many years altering and destroying all knowledge of Nazanin and eventually he was turned into a symbol of coldhearted tyrannical fury towards anything deemed chaotic in nature. This new sect convinced the whole desert nation that all things wrong in the world were the fault of the Orcs. From economic issues and politics to drought, every possible problem was somehow traced back to the Orcs.The Nation became completely reclusive and shut off from the outside world and they convinced enough people to wage all out war against the Orc race, thus began the Nazanin Crusades. Millions of Orcs were killed and their bodies burned or buried in mass graves. They were held prisoner, tortured and experimented on. Atrocities beyond imagining were committed against the Orc race and this went on for almost two whole decades. When the world finally understood what was happening it was already too late, the damage had been done. Ironically enough, and despite the Law Men of Nazanin “changing their ways” a large portion of the Law Men of Nazanin are Half Orcs themselves, trained from childhood to detest the part of them that makes them prone to Chaos and Destruction. '''Dawn of the New Era/ Unification Day' ( 9th of Amaiya 3012 A.O.M / 0 N.E ) In a concerted effort to stop the heinous crimes of the Law Men of Nazanin, all of the nations of Nafarfromir gathered in Ruglewud to hold discussions on what should be done. There needed to be a way into Nazanin and there needed to be a group brave enough and skilled enough to amass enough of Nazanin’s people that saw the evil in the Law Men’s ways to put a stop to it all. A group of human spies referred to simply as the Sisters of the Nettle were just that group. They infiltrated the cities, the armies, the temples and began learning and sowing seeds of doubt towards the Law Men and Compassion towards the few Orcs left in the land. Once enough of the people began speaking out against the Law Men, came step two. The outcry for a stop to what was happening was the opportunity that the Unified Front of Nafarfromir needed to step in and act directly against the Law Men. With the combined forces of the United Front and the people of Nazanin standing up to the Law Men the Crusades were quickly brought to an end. The entire process was done in less than five years though many lives were lost. The Law Men of Nazanin became a shameful group and were hated by everyone the world over. It wasn’t until over 70 years had past that they began to redeem themselves first by offering aid and protection to those seeking to travel through the meagerlands and regularly bringing food and resources to the more dangerous and poor parts of Nafarfromir. Centuries have passed and the Law Men of Nazanin are now considered to be a relatively good force in the world, at the very least they a neutral police force that has on multiple occasions shown that they can still be of service to the world. Many still harbor a great deal of distrust and hatred towards them however. Measures were made to save what was left of the Orc Race, and a majority of the Law Men of Nazanin in the world today are of Orcish lineage. It is a curious and ironic thing that they would eventually become the very group that destroyed their ancestors. It was the Human's role in infiltrating and stopping the Crusade that had them officially acknowledge as a people of Nafarfromir, though some believe that if they had never arrived this could have been avoided entirely anyway. The day the Nations all joined forces was the official dawning of the New Era and is celebrated every 9th day of Amaiya. People often fast and send donations of food, water and clothing to the food banks in their communities, though it is celebrated as a day to help those in need it is not a cheerful holiday and many still feel the pain of such times even centuries later.